So you bought your first Mac. Congratulations! After you’re done admiring its sleek, shiny exterior, it’s time to get down to the business of installing applications and customizing OS X. To help you get started, we have come up with a common list software you should be on the lookout for, along with recommendations for each type.

The Browser

The web is where all the action is, and to surf the web, you need a browser. We recommend sticking with Safari, which comes bundled with your Mac. It’s lightweight, fast, and if you use an iPhone and iPad you can share bookmarks, Reading List and tabs via iCloud between devices.

Cloud Storage

Depending on whichever cloud storage service you use right now, you may feel inclined to just get its desktop client. That’s great! You don’t need a new cloud storage service just because you have switched to a new computer or operating system. You could experiment with third-party desktop clients for that service, but remember that they’re seldom free, while the official client usually is.

Password Manager

If you haven’t used a password manager ever, why not start with Apple’s iCloud Keychain. It’s already there on your Mac, and setting up Keychain is painless. You go to System Preferences > iCloud > Keychain, log in with your Apple ID and password, and follow the onscreen instructions.

Keychain is not a full-featured password manager, so you might prefer to install a third-party password application anyway. If you already use password manager like LastPass or RoboForm, it’s best to install its Mac client. If it doesn’t have one, it’s time to explore some other options.

Dashlane is another good password solution. It comes with a free plan, but you’ll have to cough up $39.99 per year if you want features like web access to your passwords, cloud backup, and all-important device sync.

I use Sticky Password ($29.99/year) on my Mac and I’d definitely recommend it for its simplicity and ease of use. I started out with Sticky Password’s free plan and after a couple of months using it, I paid for a one-year license. The Lifetime license now costs $149.99, and I’m hoping to bag it when I can get a nice discount.

Media Player

Jump right into installing VLC, the free and open source media player that plays everything.

If you also want a dedicated music player, try VOX Music Player. It’s lightweight, powerful, and free. Be sure to install the VOX Player add-on to control VOX using the media keys on your Mac’s keyboard.

In case you use Evernote, but are not a fan of its desktop version, you could opt for one of its third-party clients, of which Alternote seems to be the most popular. Unfortunately it’s not free like the official client, and will set you back $6.99. Be sure to research it well before you take out that digital wallet.

If you have moved over to Inbox by Gmail and want to use it on OS X, you’ll have to go with the unofficial client Boxy ($6.99) for now; it comes with a 14-day trial. If you’re a Thunderbird regular, try the Mac version, or you could experiment with the highly-customizable Nylas (free).

There are a few really good paid mail client options. Leading the way with those is CloudMagic, which is already a user favorite on mobile devices. It now has a Mac client, priced at $19.99. Airmail ($9.99) is another wonderful alternative among the paid email apps.

For voice calling, OS X’s in-built app (FaceTime) is good, but it allows you to communicate only with other OS X and iOS users. So you will need a third-party application for voice and video calls to people on other platforms.

If you’re used to Skype, stick with Skype’s Mac client. If you prefer Hangouts, Google’s Chrome version of Hangouts is the closest thing you’ll get to a decent free client. Willing to pay up for a better Hangouts application? Check out Hangouts Plus ($9.99).

There are a couple of new messaging apps on the scene: Franz and Parrot. Both of them look promising. Franz supports several popular services including Google Hangouts, Slack, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger. Parrot supports only Hangouts for now.

Your Mac already comes with an office suite — iWork. It has Pages for word processing, Numbers for spreadsheets, and Keynote for Powerpoint presentations. iWork will serve you well, but it might take some getting used to. You can always use Google’s Docs, Sheets, and Slides as a backup.

If you’re a regular Microsoft Office user, you might not be willing to switch to a different office suite. In that case, you’ll need Microsoft Office for Mac. Of course, it’s not really a must-have for everyone when there are good open-source alternatives like LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice.

NERD ALERT: I just updated to the office suite for Mac, and I finally feel at home again in excel. Awesome improvements. Thanks @Microsoft

RSS Feed Reader

In this category, Reeder ($9.99), ReadKit ($9.99), and NetNewsWire ($19.99) are the three apps that you’ll hear about the most.

Before you go about buying one of the above apps or any others, consider these three options:

Safari, if you have a limited set of feeds: Safari allows you to add RSS subscriptions under the Shared Links section in its sidebar.

Vienna, if you want something free and open source: Vienna is robust, if a little dated. It’s reminiscent of Thunderbird, which, by the way, has feed reading capabilities of its own.

Feedly for Mac, if you like Feedly’s web interface: Feedly’s Mac client is nothing more than a wrapper for its website. If you can make do without a desktop client, we’d actually recommend sticking to Feedly on the web.

For working with Pomodoro on your Mac, you’ll need a nice Pomodoro timer. You have several choices, but we’d suggest sticking with something non-intrusive like Pomodoro Time [No Longer Available]. It stays in OS X’s menu bar until you need it. You can create a list of tasks and work on each of them in short Pomodoro bursts, all through a pop-up panel via the menu bar.

Pomodoro One is another timer option. It’s simple and lovely. You can get rid of the in-app adds for $1.99. Unfortunately, you can’t put Pomodoro One in the menu bar and hide its dock icon.

No Antivirus Software?

If you bought a new Windows PC, an antivirus software would probably be one of the first few apps you’d install. Do you need to do the same on OS X? It depends on whom you listen to, because opinion stands divided on whether Mac needs an antivirus program at all.

Akshata trained in manual testing, animation, and UX design before focusing on technology and writing. This brought together two of her favorite activities — making sense of systems and simplifying jargon. At MakeUseOf, Akshata writes about making the best of your MacBook.